Rudy Niun & Benjamin Soikun
KOTA KINABALU: The rubbish collection will be disrupted in Penampang district as some of the Penampang District Council (PDC) staff have been infected with Covid 19.
The PDC has issued a notice informing the public of the matter.
Several Parti Warisan Sabah’s divisional leaders from Penampang argued that it is a reflection of poor safety management towards the State’s civil servants.
Warisan Penampang Divisional Secretary Rudy Niun said the first question the GRS-led State Government need to answer is, “did the State’s Cabinet ministers actually arrange for special vaccination for all the State’s outdoor civil servants, either those employed permanently or contractually, who by the nature and scope of their job, necessitate them to perform their responsibilities in public”.
“I take it that while our State’s outdoor civil servants may not be performing tasks on saving lives the same way frontliners do, they are, nevertheless, equally important since they ensure the State run smoothly for the benefit of the people.
“So now the issue transcend the disruption of the rubbish collection – it now goes to the question of whether a dereliction of duty had occurred on the part of the GRS cabinet ministry over their responsibility to ensure that all our State’s outdoor civil servants have been fully vaccinated before they can perform their tasks in public.
“And if such dereliction did occur, then it begs us to think – if a leader cannot even appreciate the need to ensure the safety of his/her lower ranking subordinates, then what more can we expect from him/her towards the poor people?” the former Community Development Officer said in a statement yesterday.
Former People’s Development Leader for Moyog, Benjamin Soikun said that the District Council should quickly call for a meeting with councillors to discuss the disruption of rubbish collection service and find a practical solution.
“Some may willingly accept the disruption and say, ‘what can we do,’ but many more will not especially those living in housing estates or operating businesses in commercial areas who will have to endure foul stench emanating from heaps of rubbish or even disturbances from diseases-bearing pests such as flies, rats and scavenging dogs due to irregular collection.
“Hence, I would suggest to the State Local Housing and Government Ministry to instruct the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) and Putatan District Council to help in alleviating the problem by identifying and announcing temporary rubbish collection centres in Penampang located near the ratepayers’ buildings – hence in this way, everyone can work together where ratepayers can bring their rubbish to the nearby collection centres and trucks from DBKK and Putatan District Council can collect it from there.
“This is much more practical since truck drivers from DBKK and Putatan District Council may not be well-versed with the routes here that can cause time wasting but whatever it is, the district councillors must convene immediately and find a temporary solution to this problem,” he explained.
Parti Warisan Sabah deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking said that the Ministry of Local Housing and Government must look into the issue seriously and instruct the District Officers all over the State to ensure their outdoor workers have received proper vaccination to prevent glitch in the State’s daily management.
“While I am not privy to any issue happening inside PDC, I believe the same disruption caused by Covid-19 infection could also happen in other districts if the outdoor council workers were not properly vaccinated, hence it is imperative that the Minister of Local Housing and Government act on this matter.
“In the meantime, in view of the daily heavy downpours that we in Penampang are facing now, I also urge the local authorities to ensure that the drainage system in this district is being cleared of rubbish, vegetations and debris that could cause rainwater to over-spill and flood, especially at the flash-flood prone areas,” he said.